Rich Rodriguez didn’t spend much time pretending this offseason was anything but a full-scale reset.
At Big 12 Media Days, the West Virginia coach made it clear the roster has been turned over again, and this time the emphasis was on being more deliberate about how the portal was used. Rodriguez said the program had “a little more money this year” and “a lot more time,” which allowed the staff to be more intentional about finding “competition at every potential” and, as he put it, “Production, not potential.”
That approach showed up across the roster, especially at quarterback and running back. Rodriguez said Scotty Fox had been “great,” but the staff wanted another player who could push the position and “maybe take us to another level.”
That led to the addition of Michael Hawkins, whom Rodriguez praised along with Fox for being “really, really decisive with their actions.” He said, “I'm excited about those two leading the charge there.”
The same logic drove the move for Cam Cook. Rodriguez said the running back room was set to be entirely new, with no one returning, so the staff targeted a veteran who could step in right away.
Cook, he said, was “the lading rusher in the country,” had played in a similar system at Jax State, and had Big 12 experience. Rodriguez called him “a complete player” who can run, protect the quarterback and catch the ball, and said he was “the first running back target [in the portal] and we were fortunate enough to get him.”
Rodriguez also pointed to the return of a few veterans as a key part of the program’s reset. Those players, he said, have done a great job of reestablishing the culture.
Because of that, he said, “I feel confident we're going to be better all the way around.... I feel confident that we will be a lot better this year, probably a lot better than people expect.”
The offensive line is another area where Rodriguez sounded bullish. He said Nick Krahe was “probably our most productive and best offensive lineman last year,” and noted that when Rick Trickett arrived, the staff wanted to try Krahe at guard, which Rodriguez believes is his best spot. After a strong spring, Rodriguez said Krahe’s work ethic and talent make him “everything we want leading this program,” adding, “I think he'll be one of the best linemen in the league this year.”
There was also a specific mention of Kayden Luke, whose addition Rodriguez tied to the old-school fullback role. “Fullback kind of went away for a long time,” he said, and with West Virginia’s desire to run the ball, the staff wasn’t sure it had a true fullback. When Luke appeared in the portal, Rodriguez said he believed he had “a role to play [in this offense].”
Beyond the roster, Rodriguez addressed the financial side of the modern game. “You got to be able to manage your money,” he said.
“You're paying your players, so you gotta pay the right guys.... money helps solve a lot of problems. You can make a lot of mistakes if you have a lot of money, but you still have to make the right hires, the right play calls, etc.”
He also noted a major change from last year: “We have a full rev share now. Last year, we didn't have that.”
And when the conversation turned to the broader shape of college football, Rodriguez didn’t hold back. He said he loves the Big 12, but wants more regional matchups.
He floated a sweeping idea for the Power Four to come together, shake hands and create regional groupings with shared money. In his pitch, West Virginia could play Pitt, Virginia Tech, Penn State and Maryland, along with Cincinnati and maybe Virginia and North Carolina, all close enough for fans to drive to.
“I think that would be great,” he said. “I'm gonna put my pitch right now - I'm not speaking for anybody but Coach Rod.
He would like for all the Power Four teams to come together, shake hands and let's get the biggest TV package in the history of TV packages, and [WVU] could have Pitt and Virginia Tech and Penn State and Maryland, Cincinnati and maybe Virginia and North Carolina. All right there.
Fans could drive to it. Rivalry every year.”
He also made one other scheduling point plain: “We should be playing them every year.”
In Other News...
West Virginia Just Landed A Back Who Could Change Everything
Cam Cook is back in the Big 12 and heading to West Virginia after a dominant 2025 season at Jacksonville State, where the senior running back used an extra year of eligibility to keep his career going. His arrival gives the Mountaineers a proven runner with a track record of carrying an offense, and it comes at a time when West Virginia is looking to get its ground game back on track after a difficult season.
Cooks production at Jacksonville State was the kind that turns heads across the league, and West Virginia is betting that skill set can translate quickly in Morgantown. The fit makes sense on paper, especially for a program that wants more punch on the ground, but the real question now is how the Mountaineers plan to use him and just how much he can reshape their rushing attack once he gets into the system. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez Just Landed A Big Piece For WVU's O-Line Future
Rich Rodriguezs latest addition to the West Virginia offensive line pipeline comes in the form of Tristan Hardin-Roberts, a Blount High School lineman from Mobile, Alabama who gives the Mountaineers another developmental piece up front. Hardin-Roberts arrives with the kind of frame and versatility coaches like to work with, and he was able to sort through a handful of suitors before settling on Morgantown.
West Virginia beat out Oklahoma State, South Florida and Tulane for his commitment, a notable win as Rodriguez continues building out the future of the line. He is expected to begin at tackle, though the staff could always revisit his best fit once he gets on campus and adds more weight, leaving a little room for the final answer on where he settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Why Geimere Latimer Already Feels Like A Perfect WVU Fit
Geimere Latimers path to West Virginia has already made him look like the kind of player this staff tends to value. A highly successful high school quarterback in Georgia, he had to navigate skepticism from Division I programs about both his position and his size, then reinvent himself as a cornerback at Jacksonville State. He played in every game there and helped the Gamecocks win a Conference USA championship, a strong sign that the move away from quarterback did not slow him down.
Now Latimer is back with coaches he knows, which matters in a program that has leaned on familiarity and versatility in the secondary. After stops at Jacksonville State and Wisconsin, he arrived in Morgantown with a chance to settle into a role that fits his skill set, and the expectation is that he will work at nickel back. For West Virginia, that kind of adaptable defender can be especially useful, and Latimers journey suggests he may be ready to make the most of it. [Read more 🡒]